andPOP - Pop Culture With Substance

Full Winners List:

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series – Alec Baldwin (30 Rock)

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series – Toni Collette (United States Of Tara)

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series – Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad)

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Mini-Series Or A Movie – Brendan Gleeson (Into The Storm)

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Mini-Series Or A Movie – Jessica Lange (Grey Gardens)

Outstanding Comedy Series – 30 Rock

Outstanding Drama Series – Mad Men

Outstanding Made For Television Movie – Grey Gardens

Outstanding Miniseries – Little Dorrit

Outstanding Reality – Competition Program – The Amazing Race

Outstanding Variety, Music, Or Comedy Series – The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

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Writer Larry Gelbart, best known as one of the key creative forces behind groundbreaking TV series M*A*S*H, died today at the age of 81.

According the Entertainment Weekly, his wife, Pat Gelbart, said he died of cancer at his home in Beverly Hills. Hailing from Chicago, the writer/director/producer’s work spanned radio, television, film and theatre. Producer-director Gene Reynolds hired him to write the pilot script for M*A*S*H (based on Richard Hooker’s 1968 novel). Gelbart served as executive script consultant and executive producer of the Emmy-winning Korean War sitcom from 1972-76, and also made a contribution by directing several episodes. He also worked and assisted with After M*A*S*H in the 1980’s.

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After her infamous speech about taking herself out of the running for this year’s Emmy race because she felt the writers failed to provide her with quality material, Katherine Hiegl might get the boot from the producers of “Grey’s Anatomy.”

According to E! News, the ABC creator of the hit medical drama Shonda Rhimes is rumoured to have Heigl’s Dr. Isobel “Izzie” killed due to the remarks Heigl made about the upcoming Emmys.

“It’s not good there,” a source tells E! of the Grey’s Anatomy set. “Shonda is pissed. They’re thinking of killing her off. They want Izzie dead.”

A rep for Hiegl declined to comment, said the entertainment website.

Britney Spears has been included on the official ballot as a possible nominee for an Emmy Award, reports OK! Magazine.

The pop-star made two guest appearances on CBS’s “How I Met Your Mother” and both performances received great reviews from critics.

Spears, however, is facing some competition and will be vying for the Emmy with 41 other actresses. Other possible Emmy nominees include Sarah Silverman for “Monk,” Mary-Kate Olsen for “Weeds,” Alyssa Milano for “My Name is Earl” and “Scrubs” star Sarah Chalke for guest-starring as Britney’s boss on “How I Met Your Mother.”

A short list of final nominees will be announced before the Emmy Awards ceremony in September.

Actress Katherine Heigl has taken herself out of the running for this year’s 60th Annual Emmy Awards.

Heigl who plays Izzie, on the hit show “Grey’s Anatomy” said that she didn’t feel that her character got the kind of material that warranted an Emmy nomination.

Heigl won an Emmy last year for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.

“I did not want to potentially take away an opportunity from an actress who was given such materials.” Said Heigl to the Los Angeles Times Gold Derby blog.

The nominations for this years Emmy’s will be announced June 17th.

The 59th Creative Arts Emmys took place in Los Angeles on Saturday night.

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, a made-for-television movie filmed in Alberta was nominated under 17 categories and took home 5 trophies including outstanding cinematography in a mini-series.

The Discovery series Planet Earth won the outstanding non-fiction series and best sound editing in non-fiction programming.

The American Idol took home its first Emmy in six years, for its technical direction during a special feature with Celine Dion.

Meanwhile, a less serious Justin Timberlake’s Saturday Night Live video Dick in a Box also won the Original music and lyrics award.

The Primetime Emmys will be aired on September 16.

?Will & Grace? will debut their eighth and final season with a live episode.

The season premiere is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 29, according to NBC. The cast will perform twice: one live half-hour performance for the East Coast at 8:30 p.m. ET (or 5:30 p.m. PT) and another for the West Coast at 8:30 PT.

?We love the idea of a live episode because we get to show the audience of ?Will & Grace? what we?ve known from day one ? we work with the best cast in network television,? said series creators and executive producers David Kohan and Max Mutchnick in a statement.

Last season?s cliffhanger involved whether or not Grace (Debra Messing) would have an affair with a married man (Eric Stoltz). Will?s new boss (Alec Baldwin) is flirting with Karen while secretly working for her husband, Stan, whom everyone thought was dead until Will discovered that he?s alive. Meanwhile, Jack got a new job as a talk show host.

?This will be like the classic golden era of television that I was weaned on, where the audiences see everything. Directing a live broadcast will be a first for me, and as long as I have been in the business, there are very few firsts,? said veteran sitcom director, James Burrows who will be directing the two shows.

Considered as a gimmick by most critics, other shows that have gone live in the past include ABC?s ?The Drew Carey Show,? NBC?s ?ER? and ABC?s daytime soap ?One Live to Live.?

Despite declining ratings the series earned 15 Emmy nominations this month, a record for the show. The Emmy Awards will air Sept. 18.

Anyone remember the Good Idea/Bad Idea segment featured on the WB?s Animaniacs? No? Just me? Fine then. Here?s the deal: a lot has happened in the wild world of television in the last few weeks. I?ve broken down my cheers and jeers regarding some of these recent developments into what I believe are good ideas and bad ideas. How will the industry?s decisions affect the biz, the programming and the fans? Permit me to be the judge.

GOOD IDEA: Emmy nods for both Kiefer Sutherland and 24
I defy anyone who has never seen an episode of this show to watch even five minutes and not desperately need to know how the season concludes. There has been very little like 24 before it came along in 2001, and there are plenty of upcoming shows playing copycat ? marks of a truly great program. Kiefer Sutherland is practically flawless in his portrayal of renegade federal agent Jack Bauer, who must spend an entire day each season thwarting terrorists in Los Angeles. Though some have argued the role is hardly a stretch for Sutherland ? once noted for his temper, substance abuse and reckless behavior ? the fact is both the actor and the show continue to provide high-caliber, original entertainment and for that they are both in dire need of an Emmy.

BAD IDEA: Showtime?s Ice Cream for a Year Promotion
Beginning in October, new subscribers to the Showtime network will be invited to submit three months worth of past cable or satellite bills in exchange for twelve coupons good for one pint of Haagen-Daz ice cream each. In a press release announcing the deal, Showtime?s Vice President of Promotions and Partnership Marketing Rick King proclaimed that both the cable channel and Haagen-Daz were a natural pairing as ?these two brands represent quality, indulgence and escape.? In other words, Showtime and Haagen-Daz want to encourage viewers to park their gradually expanding asses in front of the TV with pints of ice cream while hiding from their real-life problems amidst hours upon hours of expensive cable programming. Thanks, guys.

GOOD IDEA: Frankie Muniz contemplates the end of Malcolm in the Middle
As andPOP reported earlier this week, Frankie Muniz has suggested that the upcoming sixth season of his Sunday-night sitcom may be the last. According to Muniz, the cast and crew want to go out in a blaze of Seinfeldian glory; exiting the ring while they?re still entertaining their fans. Having never really enjoyed it myself, I?ve felt for some time that the show ? which worked when Muniz was younger and the premise centered on the ?child genius in a family of morons? gimmick ? was past its prime. No one wants to watch Malcolm in the Middle Age. Besides, he has a burgeoning film career to attend to, creating important films of the Agent Cody Banks persuasion.

BAD IDEA: Seven of Nine joins The O.C.
OK, I have very little against Trekkies, but I harbor a fiery, burning passion for The O.C., and I do not want to see Jeri Ryan (Star Trek: Voyager) grace the sands of Newport Beach to play Kirstin?s drinking buddy in rehab. Unfortunately, the deal is done, and Ryan isn?t the only new addition, either ? Eric Mabius (Eyes, The L-Word) has signed to portray the new dean of Harbor School. My disdain for these newcomers has nothing to do with their past work (although I would rather perform self-dentistry than watch Star Trek) and I?m sure they?re terrific actors; however, as many fans of The OC will tell you, this show does not do ?new characters? well. The best plots centre on the original cast, and outsiders, who are never well received, don?t tend to stick around for long as a result. Just like Newport Beach, fans of The OC don?t take kindly to those who don?t belong, so unless your last name is Cohen, you hail from Chino or you?re a closet alcoholic, then trust me, you?re on the wrong show.

GOOD IDEA: Reading this column next Thursday for more good and bad ideas.

BAD IDEA: Missing it.